Sounding box



Feb. 10, 1970 LA LV ET AL 3,494,240

SOUNDING BOX Filed May 23, 1967 2a United States Patent 3,494,240SOUNDIN G BOX Armand G. Laselva, Rockport, and John Baptist Orfei, NorthRevere, Mass., assignors to American Science and Engineering, Inc.,Cambridge, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed May 23, 1967,Ser. No. 640,595 Int. Cl. G10d 3/00; G09b 15/02 U.S. Cl. 84-291 10Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention herein illustrated is aneducational sounding box containing an opening in its top, a bridgepiece spanning the opening and one or more elastic bands mounted on thebox with portions stretched over the bridge.

Background of the invention Summary As herein illustrated, the devicecomprises an elongate box having a top, bottom, sides and ends, said topcontaining near one end an opening, a bridge mounted on the top over theopening, said bridge providing an elevated ridge spaced from andparallel to the surface of the top and one or more strands secured atopposite ends to the box with the portions between said ends supportedin tension on the ridge above the opening. The bridge comprises partshinged to each other mounted on the top of the box with their distalends held engaged with the top at opposite sides of the opening and withthe hinge above and parallel to the top.

The device is furnished in blank form comprising hinged connected partsadapted by setting at right angles to each other to form a box having atop, bottom, sides and ends and is characterized in that a pair ofanchoring members are severed from the stock of the top part so as to befoldable outwardly therefrom about transversely extending, spacedparallel hinges, and a bridge member detachably connected at one end toone end of the top or bottom part, the bridge member being foldableintermediate its ends when detached to enable placing its distal endsagainst the top between the outwardly folded anchoring member and to beheld thereby astride the opening left by the outwardly folded anchoringmembers.

The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference tothe accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is an isometric of the sound box;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an end view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the blank as seen from one side; and

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the blank seen from the opposite side.

Referring to the drawings, the device comprises an elongate box 10 ofrectangular configuration having a top 12, bottom 14, sides 16and ends18. The top 10 contains near one end a substantially rectangular opening20 of lesser prior to setting up prior to setting up as 3,494,240Patented Feb. 10, 1970 width than the top and over this opening there ismounted of parts 24 connected by a hinge 26 and is mounted on the topwith its distal ends 28 engaged with the top between outwardly foldedanchoring members 30 connected to the top at opposite edges of theopening 20the resistance to outward folding of the parts 30 operating tohold the distal ends of the bridge member against the top of the box.

One or more strands 32 of elastic material, for example, elastic bands,are mounted on the box with the portions crossing the top side of thebox held away from the top by engagement with the ridge of the bridgemember 22the ridge being constituted by the hinge 26. By employingelastic bands of different thickness and by adjusting the strands toincrease the tension in the portions crossing the bridge member thepitch may be modified.

To enable increasing or decreasing the tension in a given 1 strand theend of the box remote from the bridge member is provided with a roughedge 34, over which the strand may be drawn to increase the tension,which offers sufficient friction so that the stretched strand willremain in place without slipping.

To dramatize the fundamental requirements of the combination of a hollowbox as an amplifier and the strings as sound generators in thedevelopment of stringed instruments, the device is furnished in a formas shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, that makes it necessary for each student toerect the sound box from a fiat collapsed box blank and apply thestrings thereto under tension. Also the box blank is designed to enableits manufacturer with the bridge member embodied in it and detachabletherefrom.

The top side of the blank, as shown in FIG. 5, comprises the top part12, one side 16, one end 18, tuck pieces 36 and side flaps 38. Thereverse or bottom side of the blank as shown in FIG. 6 comprises thebottom side 14, one side 16, one end 18, the tuck pieces 36 and the sideflaps 38. In the top 12 (FIG. 5) there are shown the anchor members 30and these are provided by forming hinges 40 in the stock of the top,transversely thereof, cutting through the stock along lines 42 whichconnect the opposite ends of the hinges 40 and then making spacedparallel cuts 44 midway between the hinges. A single cut 44 may beemployed, however, a double cut is preferred to enable removing a narrowstrip so that it is easier to grasp an edge of one of the anchor members30 to lift it upwardly away from the top of the box.

The hinges 40 may be formed in any suitable fashion and preferably areformed so that they resist outward deflection of the anchor members 30.

The bridge member 22 is formed integral with one end of the top part 12,as shown in FIG. 5, at the left end thereof and extends from this endout to the end of the truck piece 36 at this end, being dividedintermediate its ends into the two sections 24 by the hinge 26 whichcoincides substantially with the hinge between the end 18 and the tuckpiece 36 situated beneath it. A series of perforations 46 are formedthrough the stock to enable detaching the part 22 from the top and alsoto provide the rough edge 34.

The fiat blanks are set up by disposing the top, bottom, sides and endsat right angles to each other after having detached the bridge member 22from the top, then the bridge member is folded on its hinge 26 and itsdistal ends disposed between the anchor members 30 which are foldedoutwardly for this purpose to receive the bridge member. One or moreelastic bands are now placed about the box so as to extend over theridge of the bridge member and these are adjusted to provide the desiredpitch or to modify and contrast the pitch between one strand andanother.

The entire device is comprised of paperboard which may be faced on oneor both sides with a decorative or attractive material and which mayoptionally bear printed instructions of the steps for assembly of thedevice on the bottom for example.

We claim:

1. An educational device comprising a box having a top and enclosing avolume, said top containing an opening, a bridge member mounted on thetop over the opening, said bridge member providing an elevated ridgespaced from the top, and one or more strands mounted in tension on thebox with the portions intermediate the ends at the top supported inspaced relation to the top by said bridge, wherein said bridge membercomprises parts joined by a bridge, wherein said bridge member comprisesparts joined by a hinge mounted astride the opening with the hinge abovethe opening and with the distal ends of the parts bearing on the top,and means at the opposite edges of the opening holding the distal endsof the parts in engagement with the top.

2. An educational device comprising a box having a top and enclosing avolume, said top containing an opening, a bridge member mounted on thetop over the opening, said bridge member providing an elevated ridgespaced from the top, and one or more strands mounted in tension on thebox with the portions intermediate the ends at the top supported inspaced relation to the top by said bridge, and further comprisinganchoring members along the opposite edges of said opening, saidanchoring members being resistant to outward displacement relative tothe top and being operative by engagement with the distal ends of theparts of the bridge engaged with the top to hold the bridge member inplace.

3. An educational device comprising a. box having a top and enclosing avolume, said top containing an opening, a bridge member mounted on thetop over the opening, said bridge member providing an elevated ridgespaced from the top, and one or more strands mounted in tension on thebox with the portions intermediate the ends at the top supported inspaced relation to the top by said bridge, and further comprising arough edge at the end of the top part remote from. the bridge over whichthe strand or strands pass, said edge being resistant to slip of theband or bands relative thereto.

4. A blank comprising hingedly connected parts adapted by setting atright angles to each other to form a box having a top, bottom, sides andends, characterized in that a pair of anchor members are severed fromthe stock of the top part so as to be foldable outwardly therefrom abouttransversely extending, spaced parallel hinges, and a bridge member isdetachably connected at one end to one end of the top or bottom part,said bridge member being foldable between its ends when detached toenable planting its distal ends against the top part between theoutwardly folded anchor members and to be held thereby astride theopening left by said pair of outwardly folded anchor members.

5. A blank according to claim 4, wherein the anchor members are definedby transversely extending, spaced parallel hinge formed in the stock andlongitudinally extending spaced parallel cuts connecting the ends of thehinges.

6. A blank according to claim 4, wherein the anchor members are definedby transversely extending, spaced parallel hinges formed in the stock,transversely extending, spaced parallel cuts situated between thehinges, and longitudinally extending, spaced parallel cuts connectingthe ends of the hinges and intersecting the ends of the intermediatecuts.

7. A blank according to claim 4, wherein the bridge member correspondsin width to the top.

8. A blank according to claim 4, wherein one end part of the box ishinged to one end of the top part and the other end part of the box tothe bottom part, and the bridge member is detachably connected at oneend to the end of the top or bottom part opposite that to which an endpart of the box is hinged.

9. A blank according to claim 8, wherein a line of perforationsdetachably connect the bridge member to the top so that separation ofthe bridge member from the top leaves a rough edge at that end of thetop.

10. A blank according to claim 4, wherein tuck pieces are hingedlyconnected to the distal ends of the ends of the box for holding the endsof the box in position when the box is set up, and said bridge membercorresponds in length to the composite length of an end of the box andits tuck piece.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 529,893 11/1894 Burke 84173 X2,020,557 11/1935 Loar 841 RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner J. F.GONZALES, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 84-470

